The Product of Many Graces

Two things are required as conditions of salvation - (a.) Confessing the Lord Jesus - openly professing relation to him and dependence on him, as our prince and Saviour, owning Christianity in the face of all the allurements and affrightments of this world, standing by him in all weathers. Our Lord Jesus lays a great stress upon this confessing of him before men; see Matt. 10:32, 33 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. It is the product of many graces, evinces a great deal of self-denial, love to Christ, contempt of the world, a mighty courage and resolution. It was a very great thing especially, when the profession of Christ or Christianity hazarded estate, honour, preferment, liberty, life, and all that is dear in this world, which was the case in the primitive times. (b.) Believing in the heart that God raised him from the dead. The profession of faith with the mouth, if there be not the power of it with the heart, is but a mockery; the root of it must be laid in an unfeigned assent to the revelation of the gospel concerning Christ, especially concerning his resurrection, which is the fundamental article of the Christian faith, for thereby he was declared to be the Son of God with power, and full evidence was given that God accepted his satisfaction (Matthew Henry, Acts to Revelation, Volume 6, page 355). 

The paragraph above is an encapsulation, regarding the conditions of salvation, with two stand-out tenets being: 

(a) Confessing the Lord Jesus

(b) Believing in the heart that God raised him from the dead

I heard R. C. Sproul speak of secret agent Christians. Are you, dear reader, a closet, or secret agent, Christian? Perhaps you believe that God raised Jesus from the dead, and what you have left to do to complete this salvation agreement, is to confess the Lord Jesus, as: 

1. Your Prince

2. Your Saviour

Next, there is the in-the-world you, that confesses and professes Christ, via: 

1. Self-denial

2. Love of Christ

3. Contempt of the world

4. With evidence of mighty courage and resolution

How does this show up in this life, you ask?

When faced with allurements, otherwise known as temptations, or when facing affrightments, otherwise known as threatenings from a Christ hating populace, you stand by Christ in all weathers; in all storms, not just when the sun is shining and jeopardy is not on the horizon. You remain devoted and true in your heart, and willing to profess him as your LORD, even at the risk of loss of home, finances and income, social cachet or status at work, or in your neighbourhood; hazarding liberty and life, meaning freedom of movement because professing Christ can land you in jail and or, curtail your social circle circulation and; professing him as your Prince, your Saviour, can threaten your very existence - martyrdom is the ultimate willingness to publicly profess Christ at all costs. 

Dear reader, it is your heart that matters most in all salvation concerns. Professing Christ with the mouth, but denying him when circumstances indicate you will lose far more than you are willing to relinquish, suggests you are a closet or secret agent Christian, which makes me wonder, Are you truly a Christian? Don't get irritated with me, for asking this question. It is Christ that makes plain, what will happen to those that will not speak his name, when push comes to shove in a wretched world:

Matthew. 10:32, 33 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.

The wonder and mystery of faith, as evinced by the many graces that God bestows, is the courage and commitment to confess Christ, in circumstances where speaking his name, is a dangerous endeavour: what I mean is, God equips, God endows, God empowers us to speak without fear, despite the real threat of subtle and sometimes hostile retribution, from antichrist characters that just so happen, to be members of our family, colleagues at work, clients we serve, sales clerks and librarians, or bank staff that cannot stand the mention of Jesus' name. Dear reader, it is the power and might of God that raised Jesus from the dead, and it is the very same power that surges in us, when Christ is our King!

The thought of denying Christ as Saviour of my soul, makes me shudder in horror. True believers are terrified when they consider the possibility of becoming cowardly before men by not professing Jesus as our Prince. It behooves each and every believer to ask themselves the question: Would I do what Judas did? Would I take coins in exchange for the selling out of the Messiah? 

If your work, or your relationships, hold more value for you than your relationship with Jesus, then perhaps you would indeed, deny God incarnate, for creature comforts that only last an earthly lifetime. God forbid you make this unwise move away from salvation. 

Are you, dear one, depending on the Lord, to save your soul? If so, you must in your heart, see him as Saviour and with your mouth, profess him as Prince, come what may. 

Jesus isn't subtle. Jesus does not mince words. Jesus tells us our fealty must be to him, even if it means giving up the people, places and things, that we enjoy and do not want to do without. The losses can be great, and you may anticipate much grieving ahead for your professing Christ shamelessly and publicly, and this, I tell you, will be worth an eternity in heaven, with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost:

If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple (Luke 14:26)